After Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Iman Shumpert divulged some details about a potential LeBron James surgery (when they were Cleveland Cavaliers teammates) that had not been previously known.
In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 7 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, much was understandably made of the impact of Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury in the first quarter of the game. But injuries, sometimes severe and devastating ones, ultimately dictate which way the Finals go.
Shumpert knows that all too well. In 2015, after the New York Knicks traded him to the Cavs at midseason, Shumpert made his first trip to the Finals as Cleveland rolled through the Eastern Conference playoffs. But injuries mounted, and in the Finals, it became too much for the Cavs to overcome league MVP Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
While explaining the effect that injuries can have on a team's championship hopes, though, Shumpert may have revealed that James had surgery on his back following the 2015 season.
“To my standard, I don’t feel like we should have lost the first championship in 2015. Kyrie [Irving] hurt his knee. I had my shoulder out of place. J.R. [Smith]’s back was messed up. Kevin Love’s back was messed up,” Shumpert said before Windhorst corrected him on that Love had dislocated his shoulder, not injured his back, during the first round of the playoffs.
“I can’t remember what LeBron’s issue was, but I believe he went and got some back operation after that before the next season,” Shumpert said.
Article Continues Below“He might have just broken news, but we’ll just move past that,” Windhorst replied.
If true, it would be intriguing considering James has long been considered one of the most durable players and, for the most part, avoided undergoing surgeries. While he went under the knife this offseason following an MCL sprain during the playoffs, he has otherwise — from what we've seen, at least — stayed off the operating table.
It would also make what he accomplished the following season all the more impressive. After leading the team to the best record in the East, James and the Cavs fell behind 3-1 in the Finals to the Warriors in a rematch. Despite the deficit, they won each of the final three games to win the NBA title and become the first team (and only so far) to come back from 3-1 in the NBA Finals.
James, 40, is the oldest player in the NBA and would become the first player in league history to play 23 seasons in the league if he, as expected, returns this fall for another season.